Synopses & Reviews
Review
"Just in time for college graduation comes a career guide for the smart liberal-arts grad who believes such guides are nothing more than a pile of self-help mush." Newsweek
"Very soon, despite the difficulty of job hunting in tough economic times, newly minted graduates will march into Day One of their first real jobs . . . With some luck, these neophytes might meet with someone like Megan Hustad . . . Part study of best-selling advice literature, part collection of cautionary tales from herself and her peers, the book is an engaging blend of prescription and cultural history . . . Hustad manages to make the process of identifying your professional goals and then setting out to achieve them palatable -- even hip." The Washington Post
"This smart little book is a wry new entry in the burgeoning literature of the new economy's workplace." The Chicago Tribune
"Author Megan Hustad combed through the dustiest self-help tomes for nuggets of wisdom that might actually apply to today's postcollegiates. The end result . . . has helpful career hints for associates and architect grunts alike." New York Magazine
"Most people wouldn't think that Dale Carnegie, Benjamin Disraeli and Paris Hilton belong in the same book; but they aren't Megan Hustad." The Globe and Mail
"A book that presents itself as a guide to workplace success but that is really a (frequently hilarious) meditation on the notion of ambition. " Guardian
"Hustad has done her homework, reading dozens of 'how to succeed' books, including some by such old-timers as Andrew Carnegie and Napoleon Hill sandwiched in with such relative newcomers as Stephen R. Covey and Donald Trump . . . the writing is bright [and] brassy." Booklist, ALA
"Every woman's guide to not hating work . . . full of timeless bits of mood-boosting wisdom." -Glamour
"Long story short: This is the book you'll want to travel back in time and press into the hands of your 22 year old self." - Galleycat
"A how-to guide for artsy young people with liberal arts degrees who [are] as bewildered by the realities of corporate life as [Hustad] had once been." - New York Observer
Synopsis
There's a lot of career advice out there. Much of it dumb. But what if someone read all the advice books -- over a hundred years' worth -- and put all the good ideas in one place? Could you finally escape the cube? Stop mailing things? Be happier?
In How to Be Useful, Megan Hustad dismantles the myths of getting ahead and helps you navigate the murky waters of office life. Humorous yet wise, irreverent yet marvelously practical, this book will help you learn
Why "just being yourself" is a terrible idea.
How to be smart, but not too smart.
Why you shouldn't be "nice."
When not to be good at your job.
How to screw up with grace and dignity.
Why shoes matter.
The right and wrong ways to talk trash about yourself.
That ambition, practiced wisely, is a noble thing.
About the Author
MEGAN HUSTAD is a former book editor, former bookstore manager, and current freelance writer. Originally from the wilds of Minneapolis, she now lives in New York City. She is addicted to buying 50? midcentury paperbacks with interesting cover graphics, and should soon be able to boast the country's largest private collection of bad vintage business books.
Table of Contents
Introduction xi 1 On Being a Poseur » 1 Early Capitalists on Why Writing Business Letters Takes Longer Than Reading Them Does
2 Dodging the Great Failure Army » 18 Orison Swett Marden on the Strange Power of Finding Something Nice to Say
3 Party Tips for the Nouveau Riche » 36 Etiquette and the Importance of Asking Questions
4 On Near Universal Self-Absorption » 53 How to Win Friends and Infl uence People by Recognizing What Navel-Gazers People Are
5 The Master Mind » 73 Napoleon Hill on the Proper Use of Friendship
6 Checking Yourself at the Door » 91 What Brooks Brothers and Midcentury Handwringing over Bland Conformity Reveal About Personal Style
7 When Its Just Not About You » 108 Helen Gurley Brown on Having Ones Underwear Forcibly Removed
Interlude » 129 Why Most Everything from the 1970s Doesnt Help
8 Self-Deprecation » 136 The Art of Humble Beginnings Stories
9 On Defense » 153 The Dark Heart of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
10 The Uses of No » 171 Donald Trump and Youre Fired”
Epilogue » 190 Acknowledgments » 197 Bibliography » 199 Index » 224